ATFLIR Marks Milestone

The U.S. Navy said Raytheon’s advanced targeting pod achieved 100,000 operational flight hours on F/A-18 Hornet and Super Hornet aircraft. The Raytheon Advanced Targeting Forward Looking Infrared system (ATFLIR) logged its 100,000th flight hour last month over Iraq, according to Cmdr. Martin Beaulieu, who leads the electro-optical/infrared integrated product team within the U.S. Navy’s F/A-18 program office. Hornet and Super Hornet aircraft, including those deployed by Navy and Marine Corps. Carrier-based squadrons, are equipped with the AN/ASQ-228 ATFLIR pod. ATFLIR detected and tracked targets at altitudes and ranges substantially greater than those of other targeting systems. Raytheon said it is the only targeting pod that provides continuous auto-boresight alignment. The electro-optical sensor, targeting FLIR, and high-power laser share a common optical path. More